All We Are
by Kristina Edwards
Summary: Bella lives with her two best friends Emmett and Alice. What will happen when a certain green eyed hottie moves in next door? Will Bella's past get in the way? All Human. Rated M for "just in case" reasons.
1. Chapter 1

**So, I'm not sure if I'm going to continue this or not. I just felt a twitch to write a little bit. If you'd like to see more (or want to yell at me because I haven't touched my other stories in ages), send me a review or follow this story! Enjoy! **

I thrashed, kicked, rived, and pouted to no avail. My feet were held down and knew there was no way of escaping. "Let me go!" I shrieked for the billionth time, trying to hit the massive figure that had planted itself on top of me.

"No thanks. I like it up here." The deep voice chuckled, bouncing up and down once to emphasize his point. "Emmett, I'll buy you pizza if you get off of me." "I'll buy you ten" My torturer contradicted me.

"She has a point." Emmett shrugged, his laugh getting louder. I was going to cancel our cable subscription if he kept this up. I realized there was no point of my resisting. Alice would win in the end. She always won.

Soon enough, my torture devices were on. "Thanks Alice." I said, pouring as much sarcasm into my voice that could possibly fit. She smiled at me, twirling her finger to suggest I turn around after Emmett got off of me. In response, I sat back on the bed, giving her the best death glare I could come up with. "I'm not moving in these things. Emmett can carry me." I pouted.

"My God Bella they're just heels." Alice rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. If she wasn't so small, I might actually be scared. Emmett laughed at our bickering as he usually did. Before I could contradict my torturer, I felt my phone vibrate next to me. "It's Rose." I smiled, picking it up to respond to her text.

"Rosie!" Emmett sat up, giddier than usual. Rosalie, one of my best friends and Emmett's girlfriend was finally visiting us from California. She had decided to pursue acting in LA while the rest of our tight knit group took up residence in Chicago. None of us had seen her in months since coming to school. But as the semester neared it's end, our best friend had decided to come to us before we returned home for the holidays.

Alice squealed enthusiastically, obviously not concerned with my appearance and hatred of heels anymore. "Rose says she's almost outside." I smiled, Alice's excitement was contagious. It didn't help Emmett was hopping about the room with her, arm in arm. I couldn't blame him, I knew how hard the long distance thing had been for them. Even in childhood I'm sure everyone in our group knew that Emmett and Rosalie would wind up together. They were practically the definition of a perfect couple. With Rosalie's harsh and intimidating attitude to most men, Emmett had never let it phase him. He wouldn't give up until she finally agreed to go with him to junior prom. It wasn't a surprise that Emmett's normally happy demeanor went away when Rose left for LA. She was his better half, and not even Alice could cheer him up while Rose was gone.

Soon enough, we heard a car honking outside. Before I could stand up in my torture devices, Emmett was barreling out of the room, knocking me over in the process. Thankfully I fell back on my bed. In spite of Alice's sure to come lecture about how I have "no appreciation for true fashion," I ripped the torture devices off and slipped into my flats, running out of the room to join my friends in front of our apartment building. Alice had flitted out of the room before me and after Emmett.

As I approached the front door, I was greeted by sight I had been praying for for months. Emmett had Rosalie in one arm and Alice in the other. He came running towards me and scooped me up holding me tightly with my other best friends. Our group was finally reunited.

"Hey…Rose…" I grunted through Emmett's squeezing. "Hey…Bella…" she grunted back, letting a giggle escape. Emmett finally decided it was time to put us down, but as soon as she did, Alice began squealing and grabbing Rose in a hug.

Rose responded by laughing along with her and trying to respond to her questions.

"RosehowwasLAdidyougoshoppingalotohmygoshhowarecla ssesdidyoumissuswemissedyousomuch…" "Erm…slow down Alice…" Rose giggled, trying to pry her away.

"I'll take care of that." Emmett smiled proudly, grabbing Alice by the waist and setting her down on the other side of him. Alice gasped in response and punched Emmett in the arm. He chuckled and rubbed his arm as if it actually hurt.

Rose sighed, shaking her head before grabbing me and pulling me into a hug. "Finally I can breathe." She laughed into my ear. "Missed you Rose." I replied, giving her a light squeeze. She smiled at me and turned to Emmett, "What are you standing around for? Go get my suitcase!" She giggled, giving him a reunion kiss. Emmett laughed again and kissed her back, picking her up this time.

Before we could get a chance to say anything, Emmett was carrying Rose off back to the apartment. I doubt we would see them for at least an hour. Alice giggled next to me, turning to Rose's parked red BMW and lifting the gigantic suitcase out of her trunk. Alice may be small, but her strength can match Emmett's sometimes. I blame the every other day shopping trips.

..0

I felt whole again. Having Rose back in person was the best thing to happen in weeks. Alice hounded her with questions of LA, and Emmett stared at her lovingly all night. It was a challenge to get them out of his room. Emmett kept declaring his "sex life was in danger" each time we knocked on the door to remind them we had reservations at our favorite restaurant.

While our apartment was a nice place to live, it always felt like there should be one more person there. Emmett kept to his side of the apartment, having his own room, while Alice and I shared a bedroom on the other side. It was a nice arrangement, and I have to admit I liked it better than finding a random room mate in the residence halls at college. While it seemed a little odd to most people that Emmett, the gigantic macho guy, would live with two girls, it was perfectly natural to us. Alice and I always shrugged it off when our other girlfriends would point and say "You live with _him_?"

It was occasionally annoying to live with Emmett, with his strict football watching schedule and constantly emptying the fridge, but it was even more annoying to live with Alice. Don't get me wrong, I love her to the ends of the earth and back, but I draw the line at finding my wardrobe by the door in garbage bags ready to be brought to goodwill just so she could give me the "makeover I've always dreamed of."

She hadn't been too pushy until we moved to Chicago from Phoenix. Probably because she had direct access to my closet. The last few months have been a constant cycle of putting locks on my closet to waking up with foils in my hair. She was certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Rosalie laughed at my stories about Alice's attacks on my clothes and appearance. "You found flip flops with _heels_ attached?" Rose laughed, practically shooting water out of her nose. Alice shrugged. "I did what I had to do to get her to practice."

I rolled my eyes and twirled my fork in my pasta. Rosalie was probably going to join up in the war against my personal style. I just didn't see what was so wrong with t-shirts and jeans. Why did I have to wear heels?

LA had definitely changed Rosalie. Her hair was blonder, shinier. Her body was more toned and tan. In short, she was about ten times more gorgeous. Something I thought was impossible.

Emmett had definitely taken notice. He was constantly touching her since she had arrived this afternoon. And Rose definitely didn't seem to mind. They had always been a rather touchy couple, but Alice and I didn't care. Their sex life was their business.

"Belly…" "Bella." I corrected Emmett. I hated that nickname, but he only rolled his eyes at my correction. "What?" I narrowed my eyes at him. Emmett looked at me with big puppy dog eyes. "Can we go to the banana tonight?"

"No." "Please?" "No." "Pretty please?" "What's the banana?" "Pleaseeeeee?" "Fine."

I gave in, returning to twirling my pasta. Emmett stood up out of his chair, thrusting his fists in the air in victory. "What the hell is the banana?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

Alice giggled, "The banana is the top of one of the libraries. For some reason, the top is shaped like a banana, thus the nickname."

"How do we get in there this late?" Rose asked, turning to me. "I work for the libraries and they gave me a key to get into some of the archives. For some reason, it gives me roof access. Probably a mistake or something." I shrugged, placing a finger on my keys in my pocket.

"Let's gooo!" Emmett said, standing up again and grabbing Rose's arm. She giggled, following him off. Alice skipped behind them while I gave an apologetic look to the other customers. I loved my friends, but I knew how overwhelming they could be sometimes.

.0.0.0

"Emmett if you sing Gwen Stefani one more time I swear I will push you off the roof." Alice said, leaping onto our giant friend. He laughed and began singing again in response. "B-A-N-A-N-A-ANA"

Rose and I rolled our eyes and leaned against the edge of the roof. There was a very good view of campus and the river next to it from here, making it one of our favorite hang out spots despite the chilly weather. "How are you doing?" Rose asked quietly.

"Not now Rose." I hung my head. I didn't want to ruin a perfectly good night by talking about him. "It's been 4 months Bella, you need to talk about it sometime." "Not anytime soon." "Soon Bella." Rose responded, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"You know I'm…we're," she nodded to Alice and Emmett who were in a tickle fight across from us, " here when you're ready to talk about it." I nodded in response then turned to Rose.

"It's just been hard. It's nice to be away from Phoenix so I don't have to think about it too much. Not very many reminders here." I said, gesturing to campus.

I was very much relieved when I arrived in Chicago. College had perfect timing, it gave me a distraction. I didn't have to think about him when I immersed myself in a pile of books in the library. I didn't have to think about him when I was being made over by Alice. I didn't have to think about him in class or at work or anytime. The only time I thought about him was in my dreams. But that wasn't exactly voluntary.

There had been many nights when I had been shaken awake by Alice because I had been sobbing in my sleep. Alice got an earful every night about him. I didn't need to talk about it. My sleeping did that for me.

Alice and Emmett noticed my expression. "Rosie, why did you bring that douchebag up?" Emmett said, his expression becoming sad. Alice became unusually quiet. She knew the dreams got worse at night when someone brought it up. Rose pulled me into a hug. "It'll be okay Bells."

But I knew it wouldn't be okay.

..

I woke up in a cold sweat, Alice was still sound asleep in the bed next to me. "It was just a dream." I whispered to myself, trying to be reassuring. I hugged my knees to my chest. I knew if I didn't get up the tears would start. I did my best to avoid nights like these.

I tiptoed into the living room, sitting down on the couch. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. I listened closely, hearing Emmett's snores in the next room. At least Rose and Emmett were done having reunion sex. I really didn't want to hear that right now.

I looked out the window and noticed people moving around on the front lawn outside of a moving truck. It looked like a rental. "Who the hell moves in this late?" I murmured, peering closer to the window to get a better look.

The two figures were trying to move a couch inside. I saw one drop it and apparently it landed on his foot because the other began laughing hysterically, placing the other end of the couch down. I decided to walk out onto our small balcony to witness the scene. This turned out to be a good distraction.

As I slid the door open, the hysterical laughter turned into musical laughter. "Jazz you need to be more careful" the smooth voice said, the laughter dissipating.

"Fuck you Edward. Now lift up the couch, I just want to get to bed." The other voice grumbled angrily. I smiled gently at their exchange.

I saw the angry guy look up at the balcony, he appeared to spot me. I couldn't make out his face, but he seemed to smile at me. The other guy, the one with the enchanting laugh, noticed his companions attention being diverted. He looked up to the balcony, and even from this distance I saw his striking green eyes. I felt a blush creep to my cheeks. How could they see me from here?

The guy with the green eyes lifted up a hand to wave at me. "Damnit!" he said suddenly, dropping the couch on his own foot again. I couldn't help but laugh a little. Not wishing to distract them anymore I went back inside and lay down on the couch. Who was that guy?

Maybe that was just a dream too. But I'd be okay if his eyes were in my dreams all the time. I could definitely live with that.

..0

"Bella Bella Bella Bella Bella Bella" I slowly opened my eyes, feeling small hands shaking my shoulders. "…what?" I said groggily, reaching up to rub my eyes.

"There's people moving in next door and they are cuuuuuuuuuuute." Alice whispered, but it really sounded like a lower pitch squeal. As I opened my eyes more, I saw her flit across the living room to the door where she was bouncing up and down, looking through the peep hole.

"He is one hunky man." Alice purred, rubbing her hands together. "Alice stop that!" I groaned, throwing my arm over my face in defiance. "But Bella come look!"Alice said, running back to the couch to pull on my arm.

She managed to drag me off the couch and onto the floor. "I don't care Alice." I murmured, pulling the blanket back on top of me. I could sleep on the floor.

Suddenly I heard another door open and Emmett's heavy footsteps approached us. "What's going on?" he asked grumpily. If there was anyone less of a morning person than me, it was Emmett. "Boys!" Alice giggled, pointing a finger at the door.

Emmett grunted, disinterested and took my place on the couch. "Rosie is making me get up." he groaned, trying to take the blanket from me. "That's not my problem. Don't take my blanket." I mumbled back at him, trying to keep my grip on it.

Rosalie waltzed out of Emmett's room, looking perfect even in her pajamas. "Bella make me breakfast!" Rosalie smiled at me. "I missed your cooking! Please?"

I grumbled in response, throwing the blanket at Emmett and making my way to the kitchen. I turned on the tea kettle. Tea usually helped the morning grumpiness in my case. Emmett was a lost cause until he got food.

As I got out the eggs, I saw Rose joining Alice at the door. Emmett took notice and starting whining at Rose. "Don't worry Emmett, you know you're the only man for me" she winked at him. "Besides, I'm only looking because Bella won't do it herself."

I rolled my eyes. "Not interested." I mumbled, beginning to make breakfast.

Alice and Rose began whispering and giggling. "What are you two planning?" I asked, sipping on my tea. "Figuring out how to welcome our new neighbors." Alice wiggled her eyebrows at me, then peering out into the hallway again. "Maybe we should go help." Rose suggested, reaching for the doorknob.

"At least put a bra on first." I stuck my tongue out at her. "Yeah, I'm not meeting those two hotties in my pajamas. Not cool Rose." Alice said, tugging on her arm.

Emmett started to smell the food and stood up to sit at the table. "Bella breakfast!" he cheered, finally waking up. I laughed as I handed him his plate of eggs. He would probably finish his first plate before I had a chance to serve the rest of us. "Slow down Emmett!" Rose chided, pulling his plate away. I'm pretty sure if anyone else were to do that, they would end up with a fork in their eye. But Emmett had a soft spot for Rose. She could probably murder a kitten and he'd still worship the ground she walked on.

Emmett pouted at her before snatching some toast and eating it in one bite. "Bella make her give it back!" Emmett pouted, turning to me, waving his fork in the air. "You shouldn't have taken my spot on the couch. Deal with it." I laughed, giving Alice and Rose a plate before joining them myself.

Rose laughed and then pushed the plate back to him. I felt the feeling of wholeness return to me as I sat with my friends.

Suddenly I remembered what I had seen last night. Who had those two guys been? Who was the one with the green eyes? Edward…I think. I repeated the name in my head. I hope they moved their couch in okay without dropping it again. Had I really been that much of a distraction?

Alice interrupted my thoughts. "Mall trip today?" Alice smiled, looking at Rose. She knew I wouldn't be convinced. Rose clapped her hands happily. "Oooh! An Alice shopping trip, haven't had one of those in a while!"

They both turned to look at me. "I'm not really feeling up to it. Why don't you two go?" I said, shrugging my shoulders indifferently. To my surprise, Alice nodded. "I know you didn't…um, sleep well last night. We'll be back later. Emmett?" Alice looked at him hopefully. "No way. I have to work remember?" Emmett said, glancing at the clock.

Emmett worked at the local sporting goods store. Newtons I think. I had only been there once to deliver Emmett's lunch because he forgot it. His coworker Mike creeped me out, so I had avoided going there ever since.

"Right. We'll be back at 3 so we can do mani pedis okay Bella?" Alice said, smiling widely. I smiled at her, knowing she would force me to no matter what I said. And I had missed girl time with Rose along. "Sounds great." I said, causing her to squeal and get up to hug me.

Everyone finished their meal, and before I knew it, the apartment was empty. I took my time getting ready and decided to head to the library to get some homework done. I had a hard time concentrating at home only because Alice or Emmett usually distracted me. It felt weird not to have them there. I grabbed my books and headed out the door.

As I walked down the hallway and turned the corner, I was hit by some unknown object, causing me to fall to the ground, spilling my books everywhere.

"Oh my God I'm so sorry…" I heard from above me. When my head stopped spinning I looked up to see someone holding their hand out to me. "It's okay. It happens more than you think." I said, grabbing the hand and returning to my feet. "Let me help you." he said, reaching down to grab my books.

"Oh thanks…" I murmured. He stood back up and handed me my books. He was a very…_very _nice looking guy. Not really my type though. However, I didn't really have a type. He smiled at me and reached down to pick up his box, what I had apparently run into. It was filled to the top with video games.

"Mario Kart?" I asked, looking at one of the games on top. "Hey, you can't deny Mario Kart as a guilty pleasure." he laughed, grinning at me. He seemed like a truly loveable guy. I laughed lightly. "I wasn't trying to offend you. I mean, I've played my fair share." I shrugged guiltily. It was true, Emmett's video game sessions had made me quite accustomed to video games. "Yeah right, I bet I could beat you any day." he challenged me. Was he challenging me to a competition? "I don't even know you, for all I know you could be the world champ." I laughed, however I was beginning to feel a little awkward. "You'll just have to play to find out." he winked. "Follow me." he said, heading back down the hallway.

I stared down the hallway, gawking. Did he really just expect me to follow him to his apartment? "I'm Jasper by the way. And you're…?" he stopped to turn around. He noticed me still standing at the end of the hallway. "I live across the hallway from you. I met your room mates earlier." he smiled, waving at me to come down the hall. He was stopped at the door way directly across from mine. "Oh really?" "Yeah. Emmett and his girlfriend Rose, and then Alice." he smiled. I noticed his eyes light up a little when he said Alice's name. No doubt she had worked her charm on him.

"Alright…" I murmured still skeptical. I walked into the apartment with him, surprised by the emptiness. I noticed the couch I saw last night set up across from the TV. "You moved in last night?" I asked, nodding to the couch.

"Oh yeah. Worst idea ever. Zero out of ten, would not recommend." he sighed, setting the box down before grabbing Mario Kart and popping it into the Wii set up by the other gaming systems. Maybe Emmett would finally have some good competition to play with. "So what do you say?" Jasper asked, waving the game at me.

I smiled. "You're on."

...0.0

"Well what do we have here?" I heard Alice peek into the apartment followed by Emmett and Rose.

"Can't talk. Kicking Jasper's butt." I mumbled, crossing the finish line. "YES!" I cheered, jumping out of my chair. "Remind me never to challenge you to Mario Kart again." Jasper pouted, throwing his controller on the ground.

Jasper and I had been playing Mario Kart for a total of three hours, and I had beaten him almost every single time. The one time he beat me was when he unfairly tried to block my view so he could make sure I fell off the map.

"Alright Bella!" Emmett laughed, giving me a high five. I laughed and set the controller down. "I suppose I should really go study now…." I said, getting up to leave.

"No Bella! We're going out tonight remember?" Alice said, grabbing my arm. She suddenly turned to the blond sitting in his chair. "Would you like to come with?" she asked, batting her eyelashes shamelessly. "Yeah that sounds like fun." He grinned, batting his eyelashes back at her.

I swear Alice almost fell over. I was surely not going to hear the end of this.

"What's going on?" I heard from behind me. However, it wasn't Emmett's loud voice or Rose. I turned around and was met directly with the striking pair of green eyes I had seen last night.

"Hello, I'm Edward Cullen."


	2. Chapter 2

"_Hello, I'm Edward Cullen."_

"What are you all doing in my apartment?" Edward asked, looking directly at Jasper. "Getting my ass beat at Mario Kart." Jasper replied, kicking the controller on the floor.

Edward set down another pile of boxes. "That should be the last of them…I don't think we've formally met." Edward said, turning to me. "Oh…um…" I muttered, feeling a blush creep onto my face.

Edward held out his hand to me and I shook it, feeling electricity rise up my arm with each movement. My eyes couldn't leave his, it was as if I was lost in them and nothing could pull me back into the real world.

That is, nothing except for Alice. "Come on Bella! Time to go get ready! Come over at 7 Edward, Jasper." Alice winked at Jasper, tugging on my arm as she pulled me to the door. My eyes were still glued to Edwards.

"It was a pleasure to meet you Bella." Edward smiled at me, making my insides melt. "You…too…" I breathed, his eyes leaving my view as I was dragged across the hallway.

"Smooth Bella." Alice said, letting go of my arm. I stood in the living room stunned. How was it possible to be _that_ gorgeous? He looked like an angel, but more perfect. His eyes were burned into my memory. I realized I had barely looked at the rest of him, no doubt it looked just as good. How was I this infatuated with someone who had said less than twenty words to me?

"Earth to Bella, nail time." Rosalie said, sitting on the floor carrying a drawer of nail polish. "Oh…right." I murmured, sitting next to her. Alice ran back into the room carrying her kit of doom. Or at least, that's what I called it.

The kit of doom had been making multiple appearances lately. It was stocked with as much nail polish and makeup as Alice could fit into it. It's best friend was the kit of terror, aka, the hair kit. That one made a few appearances itself too.

"Nail timeeee!" Alice sang, cracking open the next four hours of torture time.

...

"That Jasper is one…" "You've said that thirty times now Alice." I mumbled as she let another curl tumble off my head.

"How about Edward?" Rosalie smirked, putting her lipstick on. "ROSIE!" We heard from the other room.

"For the last time Em, I'm checking him out for Bella's sake!" Rosalie whined, glaring at the bathroom door.

"I think Bella did the checking out enough herself. Did you see how dumbfounded she was? I think someone has a little crush!" Alice teased, grabbing her hairspray.

"I do not have a crush on him Alice. I just met him." I groaned as she sprayed my head until it couldn't move anymore. "Denial is just the first stage in admitting it!" Alice continued.

"Bella I think he's just as infatuated with you. I mean, he didn't take his eyes off of you the moment he walked in the door." Rosalie added. "You guys, we were in the same room for two minutes. He wasn't staring at me." I said, crossing my arms over my chest as if that would emphasize my point.

"Oh that reminds me, Bella I found the best dress for you tonight! It'll make the ladies look great!" Alice winked at me, running out of the room before I could protest. I shook my head, noticing my hair could actually move this time.

Rosalie laughed lightly before grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the room.

Alice was digging through her closet, throwing bags of recently bought clothing out as she went. "Alice could you at least _attempt_ to be neat?" I groaned, sitting on my bed.

Alice ignored my request and pulled out a dress bag, looking like she had just discovered a lost treasure.

"Put it on!" She grinned, throwing the bag at me.

"What if I don't want to?" I smirked. I could go to the club in a t-shirt. I'm sure the only person who would mind would be Alice. "I'll get Emmett." Alice said, putting her hands on her hips. "Fine. You win." "As always."

...0

At least I had won on the shoe front. My feet were safely in flats, no risk of a broken ankle for me. Alice was busy admiring her handiwork as she put the final touches on my makeup. "It's almost 7." I said, glancing at the clock.

"Oooh! The boys should be here soon!" Alice squealed, her heels making an annoying clinking noise on the bathroom floor. "I don't see why we have to go clubbing." I said, following her into the living room.

Emmett was busy playing Halo on the Xbox, while Rose was resting against his shoulder. "How come Emmett can wear a normal shirt and I can't?" I pouted, noticing how Emmett was dressed very casually.

Alice laughed, "Because Emmett doesn't have the full potential to be a smoking hot babe!" Emmett paused his game.

"Hey! I would make a very beautiful woman!" He pouted at Alice. "Right Rosie?"

"Sure Em. Does that mean I can start growing a beard?" Rosalie giggled, pulling her hair to the front of her face to imitate a beard. Emmett's eyes grew in fear. "No Rosie! I like your face just the way it is!" he said, trying to pull her hair away from her face.

Alice had a problem with that. "Emmett! Do not touch her hair or I will be forced to remove Rose from your presence for the duration of this evening!" Emmett immediately retreated. "Sorry Alice…" he grumbled, returning to his video game.

Suddenly we all heard a knock on the door. Alice squealed lightly before running to the door, _clink clink clink clink clink._ "Well hello!" Alice said, not hiding her enthusiasm for what was on the other side of the door.

"Hello Alice." Jasper said as he walked into the room. Alice followed him into the room, forgetting there was someone else on the other side of the door. Jasper and Alice shared a moment together, their eyes connecting almost as mine had before with Edward. It felt awkward to be in the presence of them, as if they were having "Jasper and Alice private time." I would make sure to tease her about that later as revenge.

The door swung open, and for the first time I was finally able to get a good look at Edward freaking Cullen. He was more beautiful than I thought he would be. He was incredibly well dressed, his jeans hugging tight to his body. His gray dress shirt clung to him in all the right places. As my eyes traveled further north, his face was more stunning than the rest of him. Each feature looked chiseled and magnificent. His smile, dazzling. His eyes were the striking green color I had come to love. And to top it all off, his hair was bronze and messy and perfect, all at the same time. I officially had a crush. On Edward freaking Cullen.

He smiled at me as he waltzed into the room. I stood up awkwardly and felt a blush rise up to my cheeks again. Emmett was too busy playing Halo to notice anyone in the room, but Rose was eyeing me and Edward carefully while Alice and Jasper continued their "private time."

"Hello Bella." Edward said, walking to sit next to me. "Hi." I stuttered, glad to get the word out. How did he have this much of an effect on me? "How are you?" "Good, and you?" I asked, playing with detailing on my new dress. "I'm alright. Moving can be quite stressful." He shrugged, watching my hands.

Alice and Jasper had broken apart. "Who's ready to get their groove on?" Alice giggled, shimmying to the counter where her purse was waiting. Jasper grinned at her. I suppose I wasn't the only one with a crush.

I heard Edward chuckle next to me. "She's really a ball of energy isn't she?" "You have no idea." I responded, getting up to grab my jacket. Alice had dressed me in a bright blue dress that reached my legs mid thigh. It had a simple v-neck and a thin belt that went around the waist. I had to admit, it was nice. And much more conservative than the normal dresses Alice made me wear when we went out. I put on my black leather jacket, courtesy of Alice again and followed the group out of the apartment.

I felt a pair of green eyes burning onto the back of my head. Was he checking me out? I turned around to peek, and sure enough he was directly behind me. I was about to turn around to stare into his perfect eyes again when I felt myself falling towards the ground. _Here we go again…_

As I braced myself for impact with the ground, I felt two arms grab a hold of me and pull me back to my feet. Edward chuckled into my ear. "You should really be more careful. Wouldn't want to ruin that dress." He murmured, grabbing a piece of my hair before putting a hand on the small of my back and directing me down the hallway. I almost stumbled over my feet with him touching me. "Thanks…" I mumbled, blushing again. If he kept this up I would never need to use blush again.

"We should probably take two cars…" Alice said, placing a finger on her chin as she contemplated driving situations with Emmett's jeep. It could only fit four people. "I can drive." Edward offered, nodding to a shiny silver car parked across from Emmett's jeep. Rosalie's eyes lit up.

"That is such a cool car!" She smiled, running towards it. "I know!" Edward said, suddenly getting excited. "Rosie I have a cool car too!" Emmett pouted, patting his jeep.

"Yeah whatever…" Rosalie mumbled as she questioned Edward about the engine. "I guess it's the four of us then!" Alice said, grabbing Jaspers arm. He didn't seem to mind.

Emmett pouted at Rosalie and Edward and then climbed into the drivers seat. Alice and Jasper took the back which left me the task of consoling Emmett who thought he was about to lose his girlfriend to a car.

"So is Bella gonna get a little tipsy tonight?" Emmett teased, his mood finally better. "No, it's illegal Emmett." I said, looking out the window.

"Aw come on Bella. Live a little." Alice chimed in, her hand glued to Jaspers. "Nope." I said, emphasizing the "p." I heard Jasper laugh from the back seat. "Don't join in or I swear I'll beat you at Mario Kart again!" I said, turning to glare at him. It only made him laugh harder.

"I let you win." He grinned, squeezing Alice's hand. "Oh please! At least I didn't resort to cheating!" I stuck my tongue out. "Cheater cheater cheater!" Emmett chuckled, joining in. "Hey man, I don't cheat. I can beat you fair and square." Jasper said, directing his attention to Emmett.

"Yeah right. I'm the world champ at Mario Kart. How do you think Belly got her skills?" Emmett chuckled. "My name isn't Belly…" I mumbled as Emmett parked the jeep. I saw Edward's silver Volvo pull up next to us. Rose and Edward got out of the car, still talking about engines or some other car thing.

Emmett was by her side in seconds. "Rosie I missed you!" He said, hugging her. Rosalie laughed. "Geez Emmett we were in the car for ten minutes!" She kissed his cheek and then began to exit the parking lot. Emmett followed after her. Jasper and Alice were having "private time" again, which left me and Edward to walk together.

He smiled at me, making my insides melt again. "Ready to get your _groove_ on?" He chuckled as we walked down the street. "Sure, if I don't trip over myself first." I said, trying to keep the mood light. I didn't want him thinking I was a total klutz, even if it was true.

"Is that an unfortunate habit of yours?" he asked, his hands in his pockets. I wished I could hold his hand...

"Uh, I guess so. Maybe. Sometimes. No. Not really." I stammered, causing him to laugh again. I swear I would fall over again if I could hear his musical laughter again. Before we could continue our conversation, I saw Emmett barreling towards me.

"Belly hurry up! They're playing our song!" Emmett said, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the green eyed model I was walking with. Before I could correct him on my name, I heard "Thrift Shop" coming out of the club. We were early enough to the club where we didn't have to wait to get in. So before I knew it, Emmett and I were jamming out to our favorite song at the moment.

I had to admit, if I were to go clubbing, I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else but Emmett. His large body demanded so much space that I could get room to breathe most of the time, and not worry about any creeps trying to dance on me. It was nice to get some energy out and just forget about everyone else as I danced with one of my best friends.

We all danced through most of the night, yet I noticed that Edward wasn't one for grinding. He look humorously awkward standing in the middle of the club, trying to pry the over dressed girls off of him. I was slightly jealous, wishing I could be rubbing against him, running my hands through his hair. But I figured he wouldn't really like that. He seemed out of place.

As I was dancing with Alice, I realized Jasper hadn't left her side...or rather, her bum. He was constantly behind her, declaring her his dance partner. I was lucky I was able to even get her for the two minutes she wasn't wrapped up in Jasper-land.

Suddenly I felt two hands snake their way around my waist. Some guy had decided I was his for the taking and started to grind on me. I didn't really care, it's not like I was going home with him. He could have his fun. He wasn't very attractive, but he wasn't ugly either. Again, just not my type. And he certainly was no Edward. I danced with him for a little while before spotting Edward who had left the dance floor and was now glaring directly my way. Was there a problem?

I saw him move across the dance floor, it was if he was floating and approached me and the random guy I was dancing with. "Excuse me..." he muttered. He grabbed my arm and dragged me to where the rest of our friends were. The guy shrugged and went to go find some other girl to dance with. I smiled. Did Edward maybe possibly like me? Why was he taking away my dance partner?

Edward wrapped his hands around my waist and began to attempt to dance. I started laughing. "What?" he asked, loud enough so I could hear. "You suck at grinding." I giggled, staring into his green eyes. "Then why don't you teach me?" he lifted an eyebrow, giving me a challenging look.

I blushed. I could play his game. I turned around so my back was facing him and then dropped low to the ground, making sure he felt all of me against him. I heard him groan as his hands tightened on my hips. I smiled, I could have an effect on him too.

I continued to dance on him and Edward finally got into it. "You're a good teacher." He chuckled into my ear. I smiled in return and continued to "teach" Edward how to dance.

Then, my mind went somewhere it hadn't gone in a very long time. The last time I danced like this and enjoyed it, was with _him_. I froze. I shouldn't be thinking about this now. I shouldn't be thinking about it ever. Why did I have to think about it now? Why did I have to hurt? Why did things end that way?

I felt the tears begin to pour down my face as I shut everything out. I felt a small hand tugging my arm, leading me somewhere else. I was blank. I couldn't think or see or hear. I felt a rush of cold air and hands on my shoulders. I felt two larger hands wrap around my arms. All I could see was his face. And all I could do was cry.

I didn't want things to end the way they did. I wanted all of our problems to go away so I could live in a perfect world where nothing had ever gone wrong. It was unfair that he was taken from me. It was unfair I had to live with this.

"It'll be okay Bella." I heard someone say. The voice was soothing, and it was accompanied by a gentle hand taking my own. "It'll be okay." I repeated. His face was still in my head. But I knew it would be okay just like he said it would. I knew I would come back to reality just as I always did when I got home. I closed my eyes. His face went away.

I heard the soft tinkling of a piano in my head. It was distracting. It was good. I recognized it and I made myself hum along. The gentle hand was still in mine. I never wanted to let it go. It brought distractions with it. It took my mind off of his face. I didn't have to see it when I held his hand.

"Bella we're home." I heard someone say. I opened my eyes. Edward.

...0.0.0...0

I sat on the gray couch, wrapped in a blanket. Edward sat down next to me and handed me a warm cup of tea. "I wasn't sure how much sugar or milk you wanted..." he said quietly, eyeing me cautiously as if I were about to explode.

"That's okay." I whispered, not daring to meet his eyes. Edward had witnessed my emotional break down. And all I cared about is that he didn't think I was a freak. "I'm sorry you had to...see that." I murmured, tracing my finger around the edge of the cup.

"Bella don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay." He said, taking my hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" "No."

I wasn't ready to talk about it. I don't think I would ever be ready to talk about it. Edward didn't respond. His eyes looked sad, I wanted to do whatever I could not to see him like that.

"You didn't have to drive me home." I said quietly. He chuckled a little. "You wanted me to let that other guy take you home? I don't think so." I smiled in response to his comment. "Well he was a better dancer than you." I smirked, the mood improving.

Edward scoffed. "Give me a break. I don't usually do the club scene." "Then what scene do you do?" I asked, patiently waiting for an answer. Edward shrugged in response.

"I don't know. This is the first time I've been out in a while. Normally Jazz and I would just chill at home." Edward said, looking out the window. "Is that why you have 5 gaming systems?" I asked, laughing a little. Edward scoffed again. "We have _three_ Bella. Not five. What do you think we do with our time? Play video games all day?" he said sarcastically.

I giggled. "No, not by the way Jasper plays Mario Kart!" Edward started to laugh. "He's more of a Halo or Call of Duty kind of guy...'

"And what are you? What kind of guy are you?" I asked, eager to know more about him. "I like music. Music is my thing. Here, I'll show you." Edward said, standing up and taking my hand.

When we got back to the apartments, Edward had taken me into his apartment. I had forgotten my keys at home, but assumed it would be no big deal since I had planned on coming back with the rest of the group. So I found myself being led to Edward freaking Cullen's bedroom, where I saw the largest stack of CD's I had ever laid eyes on.

"Whoa..." I whispered, running my finger along the side of one stack. He had a wall. No joke, a wall of CD's. I noticed a keyboard in the corner of the room along with a guitar. "You play too?" I asked, walking to the instruments. I heard him gasp a little bit.

"Please...don't touch them..." he said. I laughed. "Aw, I'll make sure I don't get a fingerprint on your precious little guitar." He frowned at me. "You better not."

Edward turned to his collection of CD's and began scanning the stacks for something. He pulled one out, having an "ah-hah!" moment. And put it into the large stereo next to his bed. A band that I didn't recognize started playing. It was soft and soothing music. The kind of music you would listen to when studying.

Edward sat on his bed and pat the space next to him. I sat down and I smiled. I was sitting on Edward's _bed_. I hoped Rose and Alice didn't see this because I knew they would never let me live it down. "So...where did you and your friends move from?" Edward asked.

I told him all about Phoenix and how I had grown up with Rosalie, Emmett, and Alice. I told him about my mom and dad, Renee and Charlie. How I wasn't sure what I wanted to do so I was taking general classes at a University in Chicago until I figured out what I wanted to do in a year. It was better than staying at home, and at least here I could be with my friends sans one Rosalie Hale.

Edward listened carefully, taking my hand every now and then and turning it over so he could examine it or something. It was a very distracting gesture, but I found it soothing. Talking to Edward about my life was surprisingly easy. Usually it took a game of twenty questions just to figure out what my favorite color was. But telling Edward as much as I could about my life was easier than convincing Alice to let me wear heels.

When I finished, I asked Edward about his life. How he had come to Chicago and what he was doing here.

Turns out his life made mine look like an episode of Sesame Street. Edward had grown up an only child, his father a very successful doctor and his mom stayed at home with him. They sounded like very lovely people. Edward had treated Jasper like his brother his entire life when Jasper moved to Forks, Washington from Texas. Edward was 20, and had decided that he wanted to attend the University in Chicago to study science in the spring. Edward and Jasper had taken two years after high school to travel Europe. I was fascinated by his stories about the Eiffel tower and his adventures in Sweden. I could have listened to him for days, and it was something I could tell Edward enjoyed talking about.

I didn't realize it, but Edward and I had been talking until about four in the morning. "I should probably go to bed." I said, stretching a little. I would have preferred to stay up talking more, but I could tell Edward was tired. Edward nodded, getting up. "I'll walk you to your room. I'm guessing everyone else came back and just didn't bug us." He said, taking my hand.

When we got to my apartment, I tested the doorknob. It was open. I knew that Alice and Rose hadn't disturbed us for a reason. They thought we were getting it "on" and I was sure to get an earful when they woke up.

I turned to look at Edward. "Goodnight Bella. I had a good time talking to you tonight." He smiled, letting my hand go. "Me too. Goodnight." I whispered, closing the door.

I walked into my room, letting exhaustion take over me. For once, my dreams weren't so sad.


End file.
